Jessica Wood is a Managing Director in U.S. Public Finance Ratings, and the Sector Lead for the Higher Education and Charter Schools Groups at S&P Global Ratings. She is based in Chicago and is the group spokesperson for a team of education analysts throughout the country. Jessica is actively involved in all aspects of the education practices, including criteria development, and she serves as chair for many education committees. Jessica joined S&P Global Ratings in March 2010 and has analytical responsibility for a diverse portfolio of public and private colleges and universities, research institutions, cultural institutions, privatized housing projects, charter schools, and independent schools throughout the United States.

 

Prior to joining S&P Global, Jessica worked as an investment banking associate at Lincoln International, coordinating middle-market M&A transactions in various sectors, specializing in business services and consumer products. Prior to her tenure at LI, Jessica worked as an investment banking associate director in debt capital markets for J.P. Morgan Chase.

 

Jessica has authored numerous publications and special reports on the education sector and was a board member and past President of Chicago’s chapter of Women in Public Finance, and also served on the Women’s Board for the Kohl Children’s Museum in Glenview. She was also a program coordinator for the NFMA’s advanced seminars on higher education held in 2020 and 2024.

 

Jessica holds an MBA in finance and accounting from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BS in Mathematics and Economics, magna cum laude, from Wake Forest University.